The Beat: Framingham boxer Teo punching forward

When the Daily News last left Miguel Teo – nicknamed Cheeks – the then-16-year-old was tearing through the New England Golden Gloves circuit.

Based on his performance in January and February at the New England Golden Gloves, the 6-foot, 178-pound teenaged light heavyweight was named the Most Outstanding Boxer of the 2014 New England Golden Gloves Novice Tournament after he won seven bouts last winter to capture the title, beating fighters who were all at least three years older than him.

Now 17, the Framingham High senior-to-be has not let off the gas pedal. Late last month, he won a national title in Hot Springs, Arkansas. After getting home at 1 a.m. on Tuesday morning, June 24, Teo then had another fight at 8 p.m. that night in Springfield against James John Clark, who was representing the Irish National Team versus a team of New England All Stars.

Cheeks saved his best for his fourth bout in five days, walking through Clark with relative ease to win another lopsided decision. As Teo’s trainer at Framingham’s Bancroft Boxing, Carlos Cancel, told it, the Irish coach said afterward "we will see him in the Olympics some day."

"He’s beating everybody," said Cancel. "The kid’s unbelievable. … I think he’s a freak. I’ve been around for a long time – when it’s all said and done, he’s going be the best fighter to come out of Framingham."

Cancel has been around boxing since he was nine years old. Between 1991 and 2004, he amassed 140 amateur bouts before moving his energies into training up-and-coming fighters. Now 31, he gets help as he tries to mold young fighters, with Teo as his prized pupil.

Brad D’Andrea was Cancel’s trainer once upon a time. D’Andrea used to box in college at Westfield State and in the Marines. He fought in the former Soviet Union, the former Czechoslovakia, Jamaica, and various other spots around the globe.

In 1997, he helped found the Framingham Police Athletic League gym along with Gerry Leone and Rick Thompson in 1997, a spot where Framingham’s Danny O’Connor got his start before going onto a solid career in the fight game.

"I was always a better coach than a boxer," D’Andrea quipped from Newburyport, where he now lives with his family and is starting his own boxing gym on the side.

With all his years in boxing, though, D’Andrea echoed Cancel’s sentiments on Teo. "He is the most promising prospect we’ve seen come through the program."

The practices are long, and the boxing lifestyle is more than just an hour or two of practice, three or four days a week. It can be a seven-day-a-week endeavor.

"You can’t play boxing," Cancel said.

Last week, Cancel took Teo to spar with boxer Khi Gray in Worcester, a session Cancel called "some of the best sparring we’ve had in a long time." The session was partially in preparation for Teo’s bout on July 19 in Holyoke. That will serve as a tuneup of sorts for the trip at the end of the month to the Ringside World Championships in Kansas City.

"It’s exciting," Cancel said. "I just want to see him develop."

Big days on track for Santos, Grala

On Saturday, Franklin’s Bobby Santos, a 2004 Tri-County grad, waited until the final lap before winning the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s Sunoco 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon.

In a race that had 35 official lead changes, Santos led just one lap Saturday. Santos drove his No. 44 car by Ted Christopher in Turn 4 of the last lap to win the race. According to NASCAR.com, it was Santos’ 13th career win but first in 16 career starts at the 1.058-mile oval.

"Definitely my biggest Modified win of my career, for sure," the 28-year-old Santos told NASCAR.com afterward. "This is our Super Bowl, and these guys work. Whatever happens the rest of the season — we won at Loudon."

On July 4, Westborough’s Kaz Grala raced his way to his first victory in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Rusty Harpe Memorial 171 at Caraway Speedway (NC).

The 15-year-old phenom led 22 laps before the competition caution on lap 100 and never fell out of the top three. After the pit stop, Grala remained in the top two spots and took the lead on lap 147. He went on to take the checkered flag by a 1.8 second margin, and made history as the youngest driver ever to win a NASCAR series race at Caraway Speedway.

"The team led by Garrett Campbell has worked so hard to make the OzLINK No. 31 the best it can be and it all paid off tonight," said Grala, in Victory Lane. "The win is my first in this series, and it is the first win for Garrett Campbell Motorsports. It is just amazing."

The night before his first win, Grala finished second at South Boston Speedway (VA) in another prestigious NASCAR Whelen All-American Series event. He qualified second in a field stacked with talent that included three past national champions. In the first half of the race, a broken right front suspension piece caused Grala to fall back to 12th. During the halfway break, the 23-year-old crew chief and his team made repairs and sent Grala out for the remaining 100 laps with a fast car. Grala methodically made his way through the field, taking the runner-up position by one one-thousandth of a second in a thrilling Green-White-Checker finish.

"After a personal-best qualifying effort in a challenging race to say the least, to end up with a second place feels like a win" said Grala. "I just can’t thank my team enough for making this week the best week of my career so far."

Grala was back closer to home with the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East this weekend for Friday’s Granite State 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, where he took 10th out of 32 cars. Television coverage of the race will air next Sunday, July 20, on FOX Sports 1 (Noon).

Franklin’s Richardson recognized

Franklin’s Edie Richardson was one of five members of the Smith College softball team who were recognized by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) as All-America Scholar-Athletes for their work inside the classroom during the 2013-14 academic year. Richardson, a junior and Fontbonne Academy alum, also helped Smith go 23-13 and finish second in the NEWMAC tournament before going on to capture the program's second ECAC Division III New England title.

Tim Whelan Jr. can be reached at 508-626-4402 or twhelan@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @thattimwhelan.